NCTR launched BEI in 2019 as a five-year initiative. Its goal was to help teacher residency programs in the NCTR Network get better at recruiting, preparing, and keeping educators who represent and value the communities they serve. This session looks back on that first phase. BEI supported 29 residency programs in 18 states and D.C., awarded $13.4 million to those programs, and supported more than 1,300 teacher residents. Over 90% of BEI graduates were hired into partner schools.
The presenters go through the initiative year by year and share the challenges and lessons along the way. They also cover the strategies that worked: stipends and emergency funds, affinity spaces, peer learning communities, and custom technical assistance. The session ends with a look at BEI’s next phase, a five-year, $40 million effort to develop 2,400 new teachers. Phase two puts a special focus on keeping graduates in the classroom and on starting new residencies in the South.
